Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ -- St. Jerome

CatholicRadioDramas.com ^ | not given | St. Jerome

[Salvation]

    
(c. 342-420)

Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ

   I interpret as I should, following the command of Christ: Search the Scriptures, and Seek and you shall find. Christ will not say to me what he said to the Jews: You erred, not knowing the Scriptures and not knowing the power of God. For if, as Paul says, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God, and if the man who does not know Scripture does not know the power and wisdom of God, then ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.
     Therefore, I will imitate the head of a household who brings out of his storehouse things both new and old, and says to his spouse in the Song of Songs: I have kept for you things new and old, my beloved. In this way permit me to explain Isaiah, showing that he was not only a prophet, but an evangelist and an apostle as well. For he says about himself and the other evangelists: How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news, of those who announce peace. And God speaks to him as if he were an apostle: Whom shall I send, who will go to my people? And he answers: Here I am; send me.
     No one should think that I mean to explain the entire subject matter of this great book of Scripture in one brief sermon, since it contains all the mysteries of the Lord. It prophesies that Emmanuel is to be born of a virgin and accomplish marvelous works and signs. It predicts his death, burial and resurrection from the dead as the Savior of all men. I need say nothing about the natural sciences, ethics and logic. Whatever is proper to holy Scripture, whatever can be expressed in human language and understood by the human mind, is contained in the book of Isaiah. Of these mysteries the author himself testifies when he writes: You shall be given a vision of all things, like words in a sealed scroll. When they give the writings to a wise man, they will say: Read this, he will reply: I cannot for it is sealed. And when the scroll is given to an educated man and he is told: Read this, he will reply: I do not know how to read.
     Should this argument appear weak to anyone, let him listen to the Apostle: Let two or three prophets speak, and let others interpret; if, however, a revelation should come to one of those who are seated there, let the first one be quiet. How can they be silent, since it depends on the Spirit who speaks through his prophets whether they remain silent or speak? If they understood what they were saying, all things would be full of wisdom and knowledge. But it was not the air vibrating with the human voice that reached their ears, but rather it was God speaking within the soul of the prophets, just as another prophet says: It is an angel who spoke in me; and again, Crying out in our hearts, Abba, Father, and I shall listen to what the Lord God says within me. 

Source:  The Liturgy of the Hours - Office of Readings 

Eusebius Hieronymus Sophronius, known as Jerome, (c. 342-420) was born in Dalmatia, studied at Rome under Donatus, the famous pagan grammarian and acquired great skill and knowledge of the Latin, Greek and great classic authors. He became a Christian convert and was baptized by Pope Liberius at Rome in 360. He became an ascetic at Aquileia in 370 joining a group of scholars under Bishop Valerian among whom was Rufinus. The group broke up and Jerome traveled to Antioch. There, a vision of Christ caused Jerome to go to Chalcis in the Syrian desert where he lived as a hermit, praying, fasting, learning Hebrew and writing a life of St. Paul. On his return to Antioch he was ordained a priest by St. Paulinus.

   Jerome then went to Constantinople to study Scripture under St. Gregory Nazianzen, and in 382 he went to Rome to attend a council but remained there as secretary to Pope Damasus, who commissioned him to prepare the first complete Latin translations of the four gospels, St. Paul's epistles and the Psalms from their original Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic texts.  While in Rome, Jerome also wrote a stinging refutation "Adversum Helvidium", denouncing a book by Helvidius declaring that The Virgin Mary had had several children besides Jesus. After the death of Pope Damasus, Jerome traveled to Bethlehem in 384. 

   There he  headed a monastery and during the next thirty four years completed his translation of the New Testament of the Bible into Latin and completed the a translation of the entire Old Testament from its original Hebrew texts into Latin.  This monumental task is considered, even today, a feat of scholarship unequaled in the Church history.  This version, called the  "Latin Vulgate" was declared the official Latin text of the Bible for Catholics by the Council of Trent. It is reported that Jerome once removed a thorn from a lion's paw. In gratitude, the lion stayed with Jerome at his hermitage as a loyal companion for years.  Numerous paintings by the masters depict Jerome with this lion.

   Jerome's monastery at Bethlehem was destroyed in 416 by a group of Plagian rebels angered over Jerome's written denunciation of Pelagianism.  Jerome died at Bethlehem on September 30 in the year 420 following a lingering illness. He left some 120 letters of enormous historical merit as well as numerous other writings.  He is buried at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. The above prologue is just one of his powerful spiritual commentaries.

[Judith Anne]

AND, that Jerome retranslated these Old Latin Texts into his own version of Latin, hence the Latin Vulgate...

Where is the evidence that Jerome used the Old Latin Texts, instead of (rather than in addition to) the Greek, Latin, Hebrew, and Aramaic?

[Mad Dawg]

I like to call a spade a spade

Call a "spade" a "spade"? Nobody has mentioned spades. We haven't even spoken about shovels or any kind of digging tool.

Oh, wait. You mean it's a manner of speaking, a well known expression? You mean nobody thought you were actually talking about spades?

You're saying it's okay to claim we've been talking about implements of agriculture because it's a well known expression, a manner of speaking, an expression? I like to call a prevarication a prevarication. It's as much a deception to bring up spades as it is to think that this article says that Jerome worked from the original manuscripts, no more, no less ....

[Salvation]

Doctors of the Catholic Church

Saint Jerome was a brilliant scripture scholar and translator of the bible. He was a consultant to popes, bishops and monks. None before or after him were so well qualified or gifted to achieve the monumental task of translating into Latin all the Hebrew books of the bible.

He was peerless in his generation and his contributions to civilization and the church are extraordinary and unmatched. His biblical scholarship and intensity, passion and fury, in which he wrote, are emblematic of his personality traits. Our saint showed anger and deep compassion and he was held in high esteem by those who disliked and loved him. He is commonly called Hieronymus in Latin or Jerome.

The Father of Biblical Science defended the perpetual virginity in body and mind of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ. He was a faithful priest of his day and no one was more learned, prepared and achieved the tasks that he accomplished. He was a prolific writer and his works were voluminous and included the major prophets, and 120 letters. His book of short biographies has preserved much information not otherwise known.

Father Christopher Renger's, O.F.M. book on the 33 Doctors is frequently quoted and his book is listed in the doctoral sources. There is also a concise, one page, historical summary on each of the 73 books of the bible listed at the end.

Jerome will surely tell you that ignorance of the bible is ignorance of Christ. Therefore, you may be the only bible some people will ever read so be careful how you live.

St Jerome, 345-420. Doctor of Biblical Science, Feast Sept 30th.

[Salvation]

Reading	A commentary on Isaiah by St Jerome

Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ

I interpret as I should, following the command of Christ: Search the Scriptures, and Seek and you shall find. Christ will not say to me what he said to the Jews: You erred, not knowing the Scriptures and not knowing the power of God. For if, as Paul says, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God, and if the man who does not know Scripture does not know the power and wisdom of God, then ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.

  Therefore, I will imitate the head of a household who brings out of his storehouse things both new and old, and says to his spouse in the Song of Songs: I have kept for you things new and old, my beloved. In this way permit me to explain Isaiah, showing that he was not only a prophet, but an evangelist and an apostle as well. For he says about himself and the other evangelists: How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news, of those who announce peace. And God speaks to him as if he were an apostle: Whom shall I send, who will go to my people? And he answers: Here I am; send me.

  No one should think that I mean to explain the entire subject matter of this great book of Scripture in one brief sermon, since it contains all the mysteries of the Lord. It prophesies that Emmanuel is to be born of a virgin and accomplish marvellous works and signs. It predicts his death, burial and resurrection from the dead as the Saviour of all men. I need say nothing about the natural sciences, ethics and logic. Whatever is proper to holy Scripture, whatever can be expressed in human language and understood by the human mind, is contained in the book of Isaiah. Of these mysteries the author himself testifies when he writes: You will be given a vision of all things, like words in a sealed scroll. When they give the writings to a wise man, they will say: Read this. And he will reply: I cannot, for it is sealed. And when the scroll is given to an uneducated man and he is told: Read this, he will reply: I do not know how to read.

  Should this argument appear weak to anyone, let him listen to the Apostle: Let two or three prophets speak, and let others interpret; if, however, a revelation should come to one of those who are seated there, let the first one be quiet. How can they be silent, since it depends on the Spirit who speaks through his prophets whether they remain silent or speak? If they understood what they were saying, all things would be full of wisdom and knowledge. But it was not the air vibrating with the human voice that reached their ears , but rather it was God speaking within the soul of the prophets, just as another prophet says: It is an angel who spoke in me; and again, Crying out in our hearts, Abba, Father’, and I shall listen to what the Lord God says within me.

---

Let us pray.

Almighty, ever-living God, you endowed Saint Jerome with a deep reverence for Holy Scripture, which he loved with all his heart.

  Sustain us ever more with your word and help us to find in it the source of life.

[We make our prayer] through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

  who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

  God for ever and ever.

Amen.